Residency And Retirement In Vietnam

“Kathleen, regarding Vietnam, which you wrote about recently. I agree it’s a nice country to visit, but to live there? It’s a socialist/communist country.

“Have you checked U.S. government regulations on this? I know for sure if one is caught living In Cuba you can lose your passport, citizenship, and Social Security benefits. Same for Vietnam?”

–Santi O., United States

In fact, an American living in Cuba would not necessarily lose his passport or citizenship.

Likewise, no, a U.S. citizen would not lose his passport or his Social Security benefits because he was living in Vietnam.

Asia Correspondent Wendy Justice, who wrote our current report on retirement in Danang, Vietnam, featured in this month’s issue of our Overseas Retirement Letter, explains further:

“There are no penalties or legal hoops for Americans to jump through if they want to stay long-term in Vietnam. It is perfectly legal for an American to live in Vietnam. The only thing would be that you would have to visit the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City in person to collect your Social Security check each month (or simply have it paid into a U.S. bank account and then transferred where you wanted it).”

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